JessicaRulestheUniverse.com

The third place match between the Philippines and Malaysia is in the main field at Ansan Wa~ Stadium, and journalists cover the game from the Commentary Box upstairs.

I thought the media tent in the auxiliary field was something.

This is something. It’s next to the VIP Box and I have the entire place to myself. No wi-fi, but the very helpful translator has gone looking for a portable broadband connection. In the meantime the staff ply me with drinks, sandwiches and cookies. Apologies if the liveblog starts a bit late—we’re working on it.
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Photo from tennis.com.

Novak Djokovic was looking unstoppable. 43-match streak, not a single loss this year, easy wins over the toughest opponents, the number one ranking and Roland Garros his for the taking.

You forgot Roger Federer. The Master snapped Djoker’s streak in four sets, 7-6 (5), 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (5).

It was gargantuan, that’s how everyone describes it. I didn’t see it, I’d gone to bed at 2 am to get an early start on today’s coverage. That’s when the text messages from my friends started coming: Fed up on Djoko! Goodbye, good night’s sleep—my eyes flew open every hour to check my messages. This is worth the interrupted sleep.

I started writing about the national rugby team last year immediately after Roger Federer lost at Roland Garros—it took my mind off the impending end of the Fed era. Well it’s not over. We’re covering tennis again! Let’s go to Wimbledon!

Ansan Wa~ Stadium, the main field.

What’s at stake: Staying in Division 1. The loser gets relegated to Division 2.

This is a must-win.

See you.

It’s easier to score a good cup of coffee in Ansan and Seoul than anywhere I’ve ever been, and that includes Italy.

Down the street from the hotel is Paris Baguette, which serves French pastry, croquettes, and coffee. (Kind of like Bread Talk but not as fluffy.)

The tables are upstairs. The wi-fi comes and goes, though.
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Went to Seoul today to take a break from the peace and quiet of Ansan. Anne, whom I met at the game, was kind enough to show me around her adopted city. We were walking around Gangnam, the central business district, when we saw this.

If there’s anything that will stop me in my tracks (we were on our way to Itaewon) it’s a Garfield mascot inviting people to something called Cat Cafe. Could it be. . .a cafe featuring cats? I’d heard about them, but I didn’t know they had them in Seoul.

It’s on the fourth floor of a walk-up with a 7-11 on the ground floor (parallel to the main boulevard with the Uniqlo).
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The team is on the pitch. The game starts in 37 minutes.

The media tent not only has pore-vision, it has wi-fi, drinks, snacks, and electrical outlets! Yay first world!

And the speakers are playing If I Were A Boy by Beyonce. As in, If I were a boy you would take my rugby coverage more seriously and not just because at this gig I’m covering for GMA News, Philippine Star, Esquire and my site.

This is the starting line-up.

1. Loose head: Austin Dacanay
2. Hooker: Phil Abraham
3. Tighthead: Richard Taylor
4. Lock: Nick Pineda
5. Lock: Jaime Urquijo
6. Flanker: Raf Zappia
7. Flanker: Chris Hitch
8. Number 8: Michael De Guzman
9. Scrum Half: Jake Letts
10. Fly Half: Oliver Saunders
11. Wing: Joven Clarke
12. Centre: Justin Coveney
13. Centre: Gareth Holgate
14. Wing: Matthew Saunders
15. Fullback: Michael Letts (Captain)
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